molecules Article Chemical Composition and Potential Practical Application of 15 Red Algal Species from the White Sea Coast (the Arctic Ocean) Nikolay Yanshin 1, Aleksandra Kushnareva 2, Valeriia Lemesheva 1, Claudia Birkemeyer 3 and Elena Tarakhovskaya 1,4,* 1 Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia;
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[email protected] (V.L.) 2 N. I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry, 190000 St. Petersburg, Russia;
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[email protected] Abstract: Though numerous valuable compounds from red algae already experience high demand in medicine, nutrition, and different branches of industry, these organisms are still recognized as an underexploited resource. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of 15 Arctic red algal species from the perspective of their practical relevance in medicine and the food industry. We show that several virtually unstudied species may be regarded as promis- ing sources of different valuable metabolites and minerals. Thus, several filamentous ceramialean algae (Ceramium virgatum, Polysiphonia stricta, Savoiea arctica) had total protein content of 20–32% of dry weight, which is comparable to or higher than that of already commercially exploited species Citation: Yanshin, N.; Kushnareva, (Palmaria palmata, Porphyra sp.). Moreover, ceramialean algae contained high amounts of pigments, A.; Lemesheva, V.; Birkemeyer, C.; macronutrients, and ascorbic acid. Euthora cristata (Gigartinales) accumulated free essential amino Tarakhovskaya, E.